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Coronavirus - Planning and building

Planning service

We have had to adapt some of our processes and procedures to maintain the safety of our team and our clients. Our offices are currently closed to visitors but staff are working remotely and providing a full service.

Our consultations will all be electronic as we reduce paper handling as much as possible. Anyone wanting to comment on applications should do so online or by e-mail.

We can assess samples from photographs, manufacturers details and also hold video conferences where appropriate.

Site visits

We will visit sites to carry out an assessment of the proposals where appropriate and safe to do so. Most applications will be assessed from the roadside or within the garden to the property. We will not enter buildings unless it is absolutely essential to enable a proper assessment of the proposals. We will call first if we need to go inside your property to make sure you are happy for us to attend to observe social distancing.

All site visits must be unaccompanied, there will be no site meeting or discussion about the case whilst on site. Arrangements can be made to discuss cases via telephone or video conference. We will not be attending site visits to vulnerable premises such as care homes or where applicants have advised that they are not happy for us to be there.

Where we are unable to carry out a site visit for safety reasons and it prevents a proper assessment we may ask you to provide photographs of the site and relevant buildings.

Building Control

We are able to carry on providing our statutory function.  We are implementing the following measures that we hope will ensure our customers experience an undisrupted service until the Government advises us that business practices can return to normal.

Pre application discussions will be carried out by telephone or by other means of communication, no site visits or meetings will be carried out until further notice.

If you have any questions get in touch at: building.control@fdean.gov.uk or call 01594 812315.

Visit the building control page for surveyor contact details.

For the latest advice, please visit the Public Health England website

Applications and fees

Applications for building control services should be submitted online at building.control@fdean.gov.uk

Fees can be paid by:

  • calling 01594 810000 and paying by credit or debit card
  • making a BACS payment to Forest of Dean District Council, account number 00833506, Sort code 30-91-87

Please quote your Building Control Reference number and email building.control@fdean.gov.uk when you have made the BACS payment

Plan checking

Service will continue as normal, using electronic methods.

Site inspections

To ensure the health and wellbeing of our staff and any person who they will come into contact with on site, we are amending our approach to site work:

External inspections

Where possible and when the inspection can be carried out in accordance with the latest Government guidance on social distancing, we will carry out site inspections of external works such as foundations, oversite, super-structure, etc.  Where this is not possible we will carry out the inspection by using photos or other means the builder can send to us. 

Intermediate site inspections

Where possible we will undertake virtual intermediate inspections using photos or other means the builder can send to us. It will not be possible for inspections to be carried out on occupied dwellings until further notice.

Completion inspections

We will not be carrying out any completion inspections until further notice

Dangerous structures

Dangerous structures will be considered a priority and we will endeavour to undertake these works. Photographs should be provided wherever possible so that a risk assessment can be carried out by the ‘inspecting’ surveyor.